The Ice Storm (1997)

Star Rating: 3
Length of Film: 112 minutes
Director: Ang Lee
Cast: Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Henry Czerny, Adam Hann-Byrd, David Krumholtz, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Jamey Sheridan, Elijah Wood, Sigourney Weaver, Katie Holmes, Kate Burton, William Cain, Michael Cumpsty, Maia Danziger, & Michael Egerman.
Cannes Film Festival: James Schaumus (Screenplay), & Ang Lee (Golden Palm nomination)

This movie about 2 dysfunctional families that lives connect together on a daily basis. The movie is set in 1973 in suburban Connecticut.

             The Hood Family              The Carver Family
             Ben- Kevin Kline               Jim- Jayme Sheridan 
             Elena- Joan Allen             Janey- Sigourney Weaver
               Paul-  Tobey Maguire        Mikey- Elijah Wood
             Wendy- Christina Ricci     Sandy- Adam Hann-Byrd

Ben and Janey are having an affair together, because they're both unhappy with their spouses. Jim is always working, and Elena has a stick up her ass. Paul (16 years old) is off at school rooming with Francis Davenport (David Krumholtz), a pot smoking, ladies man who always gets the girl that Paul has a crush on. Paul's current crush is Libbets (Katie Holmes). Wendy is very sexually curious. While hanging out with Mikey, she excused herself to go to the bathroom, and corners Sandy in the bathroom, asking him "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." Janey catches them before it goes too far.

Elena meets a preacher, George Clair (Henry Czerny) and he makes her feel alive. She wants to feel the freedom of riding a bike, like she felt as a child. Elena went to the drug store and stole makeup. (hmm...someone needs to feel alive!) 

Ben and Janey decided to have an afternoon redevoux at the Carvers house Ben started undressing, and Janey excused herself, and drove off in her stationwagon. Ben, being a guy still thinking he was going to get laid, stayed around the house.Thanksgiving break started, and Wendy and Mikey were sitting on the couch watching tv, at the Carver's house. Wendy found a Richard Nixon mask, and decided to put it on, then the two teens decided to fool around, and rub their genitals up against each other. Guess who busted them? Oh yes...daddy Ben.

For Thanksgiving, Paul rides the train to New York to visit roommate Francis and crush, Libbets. They hang out in Libbets parents house, getting into their liquor cabinet. Paul, always being second best to his roommate, decides to give Francis a sleeping pill, saying it's a narcotic. Then FINALLY, he could put the moves on Libbets. Libbet sees Paul giving Francis narcotics, and wants to join in on the fun. She swallows before he could stop her. Francis passes out, and RIGHT before Libbets passes out, she tells Paul, "You've always been like a brother to me". (oh...stab in the heart)

Parents decide to go out to a party, leaving Wendy, Mikey, and Sandy alone at home, in their separate houses. Mikey calls Wendy and asks her if she'll meet him at their regular spot. (At this time in the movie, the ice storm starts). Wendy ignores Mikey's initial plan, and heads directly to the Carver's house.

Without realizing it, Ben and Elena attend a key party (you'll have to watch the movie to see what a key party is, and it's worth watching the movie to see what it is).

Back at the Carvers house, Wendy and Mikey's little brother, Sandy experiment. Yikes!

If you look at the photos below, where does that leave Mikey? Oh yes...he's wandering out in the ice storm waiting for Wendy, and where's Wendy? In bed with the younger brother.

The Great Escape (1963)

Star Rating: 3
Length of Movie: 172 minutes
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, Hannes Messemer, David McCallum, Gordon Jackson, John Leyton, Angus Lennie, Nigel Stock, RobertGraf, & Jud Taylor.
Oscar Nomination: Ferris Webster (Editing)


If you were to escape from an American and British prison of war, how would you travel? By foot, by bicycle, by motorcycle, by train, by plane, by row boat?

The Great Escape is based off of a true story. They changed the names and location of the escape. In 1944, (the original escape) was of 76 Allied soldiers fthat escaped from Stalag Luft III, a German prison that operated during WWII. The men dug three tunnels (nicknamed “Tom,” “Dick,” and “Harry”) 30 feet beneath the surface of the prison with the plan of tunneling past the main fence and surfacing in the nearby forest.

The prisoners gathered a collection of suits and passports, so they would pass as civilians outside in the real world. The men would lay down on a board and be dragged through the tunnels. Unfortunately, when they made the initial hole to the surface, the tunnel had come up short of the forest, and the men were in clear sight of the guards. 76 men still managed to escape, but the 77th was spotted and the tunnel was shut down.

Hilts (Steve McQueen) who's laying on his stomach in the picture above, holding the rope was the first to go out of the hole and moved safely to the woods. He was watching the guards and signaled by pulling the rope to when they were free to escape.

The first hour was SO BORING! It wasn't until the actual escape did it get interesting. Push on through. It does get exciting, and James Garner is handsome!!!

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Star Rating: 3
Length of Film: 2 hours
Director: George Cukor
Cast: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart, Ruth Hussey, John Howard, Roland Young, John Halliday, Mary Nash, Virginia Weldler, Henry Daniell, Lionel Pape, & Rex Evans
Oscars: Donald Ogden Stewart (Screenplay) & James Stewart (Actor)
Oscar Nominations: Joseph L. Mankiewicz (Best Picture), George Cukor (Director), Katharine Hepburn (Actress), & Ruth Hussey (Actress in Supporting Role)

C.K. Dexter Haven loves Tracy Lord

Mike Connor loves Tracy Lord & Elizabeth Imbrie

George  Kettredge loves Tracy Lord

Elizabeth Imbrie loves Mike Connor

Tracy Lord loves ??????

Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) comes from a wealthy Philadelphia family.  The movie starts out with C.K. Dexter Haven storming out out the house, leaving his wife, Tracy. The movie flashes 2 years later, and Tracy is engaged to George Kettredge. C.K. Dexter Haven returns to the Lord house with 2 reporters, a writer Mike Conner (James Stewart), and photographer Elizabeth Imbrie (Ruth Hussey) to ruin the wedding. What Dexter doesn't plan for is Conner falling for Tracy.

The only thing going for this movie is the drama...who does Tracy end up choosing? Her fiancé? Her ex-husband? Or the writer? As you can see from the picture below, a very attractive cast. Who would you choose?

                                                           Ex Husband     Writer         Fiancé

The Elephant Man (1980)

Star Rating: 4
Length of Film: 124 minutes
Director: David Lynch
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Freddie Jones, Michael Elphick, Hannah Gordon, Helen Ryan, John Standing, Dexter Fletcher, Lesley Dunlop, Phoebe Nicholls, Pat Gorman, & Claire Davenport
Oscar Nominations: Jonathan Sanger (Best Picture), David Lynch (Director), Christopher De Vore, Eric Bergen, David Lynch (Screenplay), John Hurt (Actor), Stuart Craig, Robert Cartwright, Hugh Scaife (Art Direction), Patricia Norris (Costume), Anne V. Coates (Editing), & John Morris (Music)


Very moving, and heart breaking. There was one scene where I almost cried. The director and writers of the movie did a great job gaining the sympathy from the audience. This movie is based off the true story of John Merrick, who had disformaties and tumors. John Hurt took on the role as Merrick, and the special effects for 1980 was pretty immpressive. Here are some pictures I found of what The Elephant Man looks like in the film, and what John Merrick really looked like.

Movie Version of John Merrick

John Hurt, the actor who plays John Merrick in The Elephant Man

I don't want to ruin the movie and give too much away, watch the movie. It pulls you back to reality and realize that even though he's disformed and different than us, he's still

human.